


christmas lights (don’t shine as bright as you)

by mseg_21



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas Fluff, Eddie deserves a good Christmas, Getting Together, Guess what? They are roommates, M/M, Richie will make sure he gets it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21876475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mseg_21/pseuds/mseg_21
Summary: “What⎯ What do people usually do on Christmas Eve?”Richie's first reaction was to ask Eddie if he was serious, to tease him because who didn't know how to celebrate Christmas? It was so ridiculous, so sad, that Richie had to force himself not to laugh, almost giving in to the urge. Something in the sincerity of Eddie's tone persuaded him to do otherwise.“I mean, my family usually does a big thing that lasts for days, but seeing as how it's just you and me⎯” Richie trailed off, face scrunched up in thought as he mulled over their options. They were stuck in a mostly-dead college town on a freezing cold Christmas weekend, and it was already after ten o'clock. What even was there for them to do?Suddenly, the soft sound of a Christmas carol playing on a radio ad on Eddie's computer gave him a brilliant idea.“Come on.” He said decidedly, starting to look for his warmest clothes. “Get a coat on. We're going out.”
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 23
Kudos: 242
Collections: IT Fandom Secret Santa 2019





	christmas lights (don’t shine as bright as you)

“I can't believe you're just gonna sit there all weekend, dude.”

Richie never expected to spend his Christmas Eve arguing with his roommate. 

He was supposed to be checking things off his list of annual traditions, enjoying the best holiday of the year. Yet here he was instead, pacing around the small space they shared, trying to convince Eddie that he simply could  _ not  _ spend the entire holiday in their room, sitting on his bed with his laptop in front of him. 

However, Richie's convincing didn't appear to be working very well.

“I don't have anything else to do.” Eddie argued, his voice flat. “I always hang out here and chill during winter break. It's not a big deal. Lots of people do it.”

“That's fucking sad, Eds." Richie said, shaking his head and giving Eddie a look. "Only sad people do it."

"And people with no family to go home to.” Eddie said without so much as a change in expression, the words nearly knocking Richie off his feet.

_ Oh, yeah. _

Unlike Richie, whose parents were simply out of the country for the holidays this year, Eddie never had anyone to return to during their breaks. His father died when he was just a kid and he didn't talk to his mother anymore. Richie didn't know exactly what went down between them. All he knew was what little Eddie let slip when they talked⎯ but that was enough for him to put together that Eddie’s mom didn’t react well when he came out to her after graduating high school. 

It was also enough to make Richie silently hate her in his mind. 

He tried not to bring her up, which was hard considering his best jokes⎯ Stan would disagree and say they were actually his worst⎯ were the ones involving someone’s mother. 

Not that it mattered, since now he'd gone and accidentally reminded Eddie he didn't have a family. 

He'd probably been alone for a lot of Christmas’ in the past. From what he’d gathered, even before whatever happened with his mother happened, they didn’t have the best relationship. This year would probably be no different for him but still, Richie felt bad for putting his foot in his mouth. He scratched at the back of his neck, willing away the guilty blush rising to the skin there.

“Well⎯ okay. Point taken. Sorry.” When Eddie made no move to continue the conversation, Richie stepped closer to the edge of his bed. “But like⎯ I'm here. And you're here. So if we both gotta be here anyway, why not do something?”

Eddie looked back at him, something akin to caution on his face. “You wanna do something? With me? Just you and me?”

_ Yes. Definitely. Forever.  _

"Fuck yeah." Richie said, trying and failing to tone his answer down. It still came out as too excited to be casual, making the heat at the back of his neck even worse. “I mean, yeah. You, me, Christmas⎯ let's do something. Together.”

There was another beat of hesitant silence from Eddie, and when he finally replied, it was with a twisted little frown. “What⎯ What do people usually do on Christmas Eve?”

Richie's first reaction was to ask Eddie if he was serious, to tease him because who didn't know how to celebrate Christmas? It was so ridiculous, so sad, that Richie had to force himself not to laugh, almost giving in to the urge. Something in the sincerity of Eddie's tone persuaded him to do otherwise.

“I mean, my family usually does a big thing that lasts for days, but seeing as how it's just you and me⎯” Richie trailed off, face scrunched up in thought as he mulled over their options. They were stuck in a mostly-dead college town on a freezing cold Christmas weekend, and it was already after ten o'clock. What even was there for them to do?

Suddenly, the soft sound of a Christmas carol playing on a streaming radio ad on Eddie's computer gave him a brilliant idea.

“Come on.” He said decidedly, starting to look for his warmest clothes. “Get a coat on. We're going out.”

“But it’s freezing outside.” Eddie said, staring out their window where a little snow was still falling. 

“I can keep you warm Eddie, baby.” Richie said, waggling his eyebrows as he pulled on his coat. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, not even dignifying Richie’s comment with an answer, but Richie could see a slight blush on his face as he turned away to look for his own clothes. 

Walking in the cold of winter wasn't usually a favorite pastime of Richie's, but showing Eddie a good time was a priority. 

It was his responsibility, he thought, to show Eddie that Christmas could be beautiful and fun.

It certainly didn't hurt that he got to spend time with his ridiculously handsome and adorable roommate, who Richie had more than a little bit of a crush on. 

His main motivation was the spirit of the season, though. At least that’s what he told himself.

Luckily, festive fun was close at hand. The streets that bordered the campus were wonderfully decorated with twinkling lights and gleaming wreath-wrapped street lamps. Richie had always imagined them as the backdrop of a holiday greeting card, but on Christmas Eve, they seemed somehow even more magical than any December night he could remember.

The air around them was cold, almost freezing, making their breath come out as puffs of air. A light breeze blew, gently making snow fall in circles and swirls and, as they made their way towards their destination with Richie guiding them, they watched the snowflakes dance and sparkle in the warm glow of the lights. 

It was everything Richie could have asked for it to be, the perfect Christmas picture. He tried to see Eddie's reaction, wanted to know if he liked it just as much, but he found it slightly difficult. His face was half hidden behind the raised collar of his thin jacket, teeth audibly chattering behind it, flecks of white snow dusting the blonde curls that peeked from under his beanie. 

Suddenly Richie wasn't so sure that he'd made the right decision after all.

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, just cold.” Eddie replied, crossing his arms over his chest and rubbing at his sides with his gloved hands. “I'm used to running out of this kind of weather, not into it.”

Richie chuckled. “I mean, same. But it's Christmas. You can't just sit on your ass and do nothing.”

“Technically Christmas is tomorrow." Eddie reminded him. “Where are we going, anyway? Aren't most places closed on Christmas?”

“Technically Christmas is tomorrow.” Richie parroted, tongue poking out from between his teeth as he grinned. Eddie rolled his eyes but there was a small smile curling along his lips. Richie grabbed him by one of his folded arms and urging him on. “Just trust me. Come on.”

They continued on down the empty streets, passing buildings that were mostly dark, save for holiday decorations twinkling on their windows and doors. Just beyond the edges of campus, there were rows of apartment buildings and old houses. Outside some of them, children played in the falling snow, their voices echoing in the air.

Richie hummed, warm memories flooding his mind while at the same time trying to keep himself from missing his family too much. 

He kept his hold on Eddie's arm and pulled him around a corner.

“The ice cream shop?” Eddie asked, blinking as they approached a brightly lit place. “Why are we getting ice cream when it's freezing outside?”

“We're not.” Richie grinned, glad to see that the tiny shop was indeed still open. It was a twenty-four hour business during regular operating days, but Eddie had been right about holiday closings⎯ Richie had held out hope without checking first before leaving the dorm building. “They sell hot chocolate and doughnuts during the winter. Their spicy hot cocoa is the shit, dude.”

“Oh.” Eddie said, his steps slowing. “I, uh. I didn't bring any money, but I⎯”

“I didn't ask you to, Eds.” Richie cut in. “I'm showing your ass a good time tonight, so this is on me. Get whatever.” He said the last few words as they walked through the door, heat hitting them in a wave as Richie all but dragged Eddie in after him. He didn't give himself time to dwell on the fact that he'd made the offer sound very much like a date. Just because it was what he wanted, it didn't mean Eddie did too.

Still, Eddie didn't protest, so Richie didn't bother mentioning it by that name. For the moment, anyway.

He made most of the decisions for both of them, Eddie seemed clueless and gladly took his suggestions about which pastries went best with their drinks. Watching him take his first sip of the sweet and spicy chocolate, Richie quietly wondered if Eddie had ever had it before, ever been taken on a decent drinks and dessert date in his life. If not, it would just be one more thing Richie would have to fix.

That night, though, he had bigger plans.

“Bring your stuff, let's go.” He instructed, heading for the door, his own hot drink and doughnuts in his hands. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Eddie reluctantly following, staring out the window with hesitation. It was only then that Richie realized just how underdressed Eddie was.

“Dude, did you not have anything heavier than that jacket to wear?” He asked as they stepped through the door and into the cold. 

Eddie shook his head. “It's not usually a problem. I tend to kind of bust my ass to get to my classes, so I'm never out in the cold for too long. Unlike some people, apparently.” He held his drink with both hands, bringing it close to his face as they walked, sighing happily as the steam rising from it warmed him up. 

Richie frowned. “If you'd told me that I would've let you borrow some of my stuff." Richie said, trying not to get distracted by the image that popped into his head⎯ Eddie wearing his clothes, looking adorable and tiny⎯ at the suggestion.

"You wouldn't have offered to warm me up  _ some other way _ ?" He said, quirking an eyebrow and attempting to make air quotes with his fingers still wrapped around his cup.

Richie snickered. "Well yeah, but then I would've given you something warmer to wear."

Eddie shrugged, looking like he wouldn't have minded Richie's teasing if it ended with him being less cold now. 

Richie made a split decision and unwound the scarf from his own neck, wrapping it haphazardly around Eddie's.

“You don't have to loan me your⎯”

“It's not a loan.” Richie said, interrupting him. “Consider it a gift. Merry Christmas, Spaghetti.” 

The scarf looked good on him, though Richie was probably biased, and he didn't seem terribly averse to it. He used his gloved fingers to pull the plush knit over his mouth and nose, inhaling deeply before sighing a genuine thanks. Richie couldn't see his mouth but his eyes twinkled with a soft smile.

That simple response made Richie feel suspiciously warm, despite the freezing wind now hitting his neck.

There were less than thirty minutes left until midnight when Richie finally found the street he'd been searching for. His aching feet reminded him that they had a long trip back to their room ahead of them, once his plan had run its course, and he would surely have to listen to Eddie's righteous complaints the entire way, but it didn't trump his excitement. He would likely never get another chance to do something as Christmas-y as this again, and he only hoped that Eddie would appreciate his efforts as well.

Nearing the end of the road, it was Eddie's huffing that brought them to a stop.

“Come on Rich, can't you tell me where we're going?” He asked, looking slightly impatient. Richie pointed ahead of them.

“Right here.” Up ahead, an old church building stood, tall and quiet. Its windows were alight, stained glass glowing beautifully, strings of lights and tinsel hanging from the lamp posts around it. Eddie looked, taking in the sight, then turned to Richie.

“You're taking me to church?”

Richie laughed, shaking his head. “Not tonight.” He said. “Though if my grandma were here, she'd be dragging us there tomorrow morning. But nah, I brought you here to show you something cool. Come on.”

Kicking through the snow that had collected on the grass, Richie abandoned the sidewalk entirely and made his way onto the grounds of the church, Eddie trailing behind him, his shorter legs putting him a few steps behind. When they made it to the steps in front of the church itself, Richie kicked the snow from the bottom two, taking a seat once he'd finally cleared it. He patted the stone beside him and grinned up at Eddie.

“Have a seat.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose, a debate unfolding in his head as he eyed the slightly wet stone with unease. Richie was about to offer his lap⎯ as a joke, of course⎯ when Eddie sighed and finally sat next to him. 

He was still watching Richie expectantly, obviously not yet impressed. Richie glanced down at his phone, seeing that only ten minutes stood between the two of them and Christmas. He sat back, pulling the paper bag containing his still-warm doughnut.

“So, uh. What are we doing here?” Eddie finally asked, after watching Richie eat in silence for a long moment. Richie wiped the crumbs from his face, reaching for his cup of hot chocolate.

“Well, like you said, most things are closed on Christmas. But with this being a church, they'll probably be doing something here shortly.”

Eddie blinked. “Okay, but⎯ You said we weren't going into the church.”

“We're not.” Richie nodded. “Just hang out, and try to trust me.” He had lost count of how many times he asked Eddie to trust him tonight, hopefully it would be worth it.

A little begrudgingly, Eddie did as he was asked, settling in to finish his doughnuts and drink while they waited for⎯ he wasn't sure what. 

"So, what does your family do for Christmas?"

"Huh?"

"You said they did this big thing that lasted for days, what do you do?" Eddie asked, peering curiously at Richie. 

"Oh! Well, we usually spend it with my grandparents. So it's this big family thing with uncles and aunts and cousins. There's cooking⎯ which I don't do. And baking⎯ which I do, just not that well." He chuckled, a fond smile spreading across his face at the thought of his family. "We go ice skating⎯ that's supposed to be for the kids, but I'll be damned if I don't get in the fucking rink and show them who's boss."

"I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of kids were better at ice skating than you." Eddie said, knocking his knee against Richie's with a soft laugh.

"Oh they are, I meant the boss at falling on his ass."

Eddie laughed, a loud, high pitched sound that Richie didn't get to hear often, but never failed to make his heart skip a beat. 

"There's uh⎯ there's also snowball fights. Basically living off hot chocolate and Christmas cookies for days!" He continued. "Opening the gifts on Christmas morning is a favorite of mine."

"Of course." Eddie piped in, the  _ duh _ could be heard in his voice.

"We also add new stuff every year, my family isn't one for dull holidays."

"I can see that." Eddie said, smiling into his cup. "It sounds like a really good time. I can see why you love Christmas so much." He added, voice turning slightly sad and tugging on Richie's heartstrings. "I never⎯ my mother and I never did any of that. I wished we would, but after a while I figured it wasn't meant for me."

"That's bullshit Eds! You can have a great Christmas, you  _ deserve _ it." Richie said, determined. "And seeing as Christmas at the Tozier household is the best of the best, I hereby invite you to join us next year."

The weight of his words became obvious to Richie the moment Eddie's eyes widened, and he fell silent, fingers fidgeting around his cup.

As he tried to find a way to take it back⎯ for Eddie's sake, the large clock from the church building signaled the official arrival of Christmas.

At the stroke of midnight, seemingly by magic, candles came alight in every window as a flock of doves flew away from the noisy bell tower. They knocked loose snow in the air, creating a beautiful curtain around Richie and Eddie. 

Eddie's mouth dropped open into small, soft  _ oh _ as he stood to get a better view. He looked up at the giant bells moving in the church's tower, their ringing carefully calculated to play a beautiful and familiar melody. 

As the bells continued to chime, Richie moved to stand next to Eddie and, not bothering to excuse himself, he reached down to take hold of his hand. Even though they both wore gloves, the contact made Richie's chest flutter wildly. Especially when Eddie didn't pull back.

Feeling bold, Richie squeezed it, smiling when Eddie turned his wide eyes toward him.

“Pretty, isn't it?”

Nodding, Eddie turned to him, his eyes were soft, as well as his smile. There was a look of familiarity and fondness in them that left Richie second guessing himself.

That only lasted a moment, though. Eddie's thoughts became clear when he looked down at Richie's hand in his. There was a dawning in his expression as he took hold of the scarf around his neck and looped one loose end around Richie, pulling him close. 

Richie hardly had time to let out a surprised laugh, stumbling against him before Eddie was pressing their lips together, arms replacing the scarf around his neck. 

It wasn't exactly the anticipated outcome of the evening, but Richie was certainly not about to complain.

He gathered Eddie fully into his arms, kissing him breathless on the church stairs as snow fell and bells rang around them.

When they pulled apart, Eddie was noticeably pink. Whether it was due to the glow of the holiday lights or the chill of the wind, or perhaps, Richie himself, he wasn't sure. 

But he could still tease him about it. 

“That good, huh?” Richie smirked, trying not to sound flustered himself. Eddie didn't roll his eyes, instead, he took hold of the scarf he'd been gifted and held it over his shiny, pink lips, his eyes betraying the smile behind it.

“I just honestly can't believe you did this, brought us here, just for me.” Eddie looked back to the bells, which had begun the opening notes of another song. He sighed happily at the sound, his breath billowing out from beneath the scarf in a warm cloud in the cold midnight air.

“Yeah, well. It was my civic duty to show you how to celebrate Christmas properly and this was the best way I could think to start the weekend in this town. And besides,” He grinned, slinging an arm around Eddie's shoulders, this time more meaningful in his movement. “I happen to think you're kinda worth it.”

“Yeah?” Eddie smiled, letting the scarf fall away from his lips. Richie couldn't wait to kiss them again.

“Yeah. Most days.”

“I'll remember that.” Eddie laughed, a soft sound, more musical than the ringing church bells. He took hold of Richie's hand that hung from his shoulder, lacing their fingers together. “Is this gonna be more than a one time thing, or is this just part of how you celebrate Christmas?”

Richie snorted. “I've never been lucky enough to celebrate it with someone as good looking as you, so we'd better make this a thing. No Christmas could ever live up to this."

“Wouldn't want to ruin Christmas for you.” Eddie smiled. Richie pulled him closer, unable to wait for another invitation. He kissed him, slower and sweeter this time, as the winter wind reminded them both that they had a warm room to return to.

“So what next, Rudolph?” Eddie asked, poking Richie's wind-reddened nose. Richie jabbed him playfully in the side, only to pull him back to himself again, pointing back toward the road.

“We should probably head back to the dorm. Otherwise, the next thing we're doing is involuntary snow angels.” He said, looking up to where the snow fall had picked up.

Eddie nodded. “Anything on the agenda for tomorrow, Chris Kringle?”

“I figured we could make plans once we're out of the snow for the night. Maybe watch old Christmas movies and make out." Richie said, waggling his eyebrows, heart fluttering as he realized he wasn't saying that as playful flirting anymore, now it was a real possibility. "Also, what’s with the nicknames? They are  _ my  _ thing." 

Eddie chuckled. “Anyway, you said something about going back and⎯”

“Making out like teenagers whose parents aren’t home, yes.” Richie cut in, giving Eddie a lopsided grin. The feeling of warmth at the back of his neck had returned, but it was altogether more pleasant this time.

Eddie chuckled. “Is that another Christmas tradition?” 

“We could turn it into one. If you want.”

Eddie's mouth twitched in thought before slipping into a bright grin. “Yeah, I do want that.” He pushed himself onto his tiptoes and kissed Richie one more time. “A lot.”

Richie beamed, reaching for Eddie’s hand to start making their way back. 

“Wait, wait.” Richie said when they were almost at their building, letting go of Eddie’s hand to tiptoe to an empty office window, decorated with twinkle lights.

“What are you doing?” 

“I can’t go back to our undecorated room after this, man, it’s too depressing.”

“So what, you want us to make out here?”

Richie paused to consider that, but it was only getting colder and he would rather do it inside where he could let Eddie warm him up. “No, not today.” He said, then pointed to the lights. “We need these.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “I’ll let you buy some tomorrow, we can put them up in our room.”

Richie hummed. "Nope, we need them tonight.” He said and with that, he started taking them down. 

“Richie! What the fuck are you doing?” Eddie hissed, looking around with wide eyes. 

“I’m trying to bring some cheer back to our room, Eds!” Richie said, probably too loud for someone who was trying to steal something. 

“Are you insane?"

“Come on, they won’t miss it.” Richie said, wrapping the lights around himself to make it easier for him to carry them back. Once he managed to disconnect them, they looked like a very weird scarf. “There’s no one left here to miss them.” 

He turned around to see Eddie shaking his head at him. He would still send frantic glances to their surroundings but mostly he was trying to fight off a smile. “Fine, but if we get caught, it’s every man for himself, dude.”

“I see how it is, Eds. I see how it is.” Richie said, feigning hurt but the moment Eddie giggled, his entire body melted and he was grinning at Eddie like a lovestruck idiot. 

He couldn't help but look at him like that again when, just as they were about to enter their building, Eddie snatched one of the wreaths that hung from the front doors. When Richie simply stared at him, Eddie shrugged. “So your Christmas lights don't feel lonely." He said. "We can return it in the morning.”

Richie shook his head, not quite believing Eddie was real. “Fuck, you’re perfect.” He muttered and Eddie blinked, surprised, before a pleased smile appeared on his face. “I really hate myself for not making a move sooner.”

“First of all, you didn’t make a move,  _ I  _ did.” Eddie said and yeah, Richie had to give him that. Eddie was the one who kissed him first. “And second of all,” He continued. “You’ve got plenty of time to make up for it. We’ve got all of Christmas break with almost the entire building to ourselves.” 

With that, he whirled around and entered the building. Richie was left speechless by the unspoken suggestion in Eddie's words, an offer he was already determined to take him up on. 

There were no words spoken between them as they wandered up the stairs, keeping an eye out for anyone who might have been watching them steal Christmas decorations. 

They placed the wreath on the window over Eddie’s bed and after untangling Richie from the lights, they also strung them up. 

After they were done, Richie chose the cheesiest Christmas movie he could find, playing it on Eddie's computer⎯ only so they could  _ not _ watch it. 

As they kissed, multicolored lights twinkling above them, Richie couldn't help but think that it was the best holiday either of them could have asked for.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, leave a comment or come talk to me on tumblr  
> [jem-castairs-is-perfection](http://jem-carstairs-is-perfection.tumblr.com/)


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